Terra-Cotta Warriors

                                                                                                               
The most significant archaeological discovery of the 20th Century surfaced as the result of an accidental discovery in 1974 by a group of farmers who stumbled upon pieces of aged pottery while digging a well in Lingtong County in Shaanxi Province.  The well happened to be about 1.5 kilometers from Mt Lishan, above the royal tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, who began the construction of his mausoleum when he ascended to the throne at the age of 13.  The fortunate happening by of the farmers instantly attracted the attention of archaeologists who quickly flocked to Xian in droves.  The excavation site rapidly expanded as researchers established that the extensive findings belonged to the Qin Dynasty (206-211 BC).  In 1975 a museum was opened at the active excavation site, attracting tens of thousands of intrigued visitors.
The most astounding discovery within Emperor Qin Shi Huang’s tomb is undisputedly the funerary art that the Emperor surrounded himself with in preparation for the afterlife.  Within the tomb archaeologists found a Terracotta Army of over 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots, and nearly 700 horses.  Inside the tomb researchers have also unearthed a virtual underground palace with offices and halls and a variety of valuable utensils, as well as the remains of many of the 700,000 workers enlisted to construct the monumental structure.  Legend holds that the Emperor was so obsessed with keeping the location of the tomb unknown to the extent that he had the craftsmen and artisans buried alive within the tomb. 
The site is composed of four excavation pits about 7 meters deep.  The pits contain the army, cavalry, high ranking officers, war chariots, and an extensive series of paved corridors, all measuring more than 3 meters in width.  The more than 8,000 soldiers are both life-sized and life –like, varying in stature, facial expression, hairstyle, and uniform.  It has been deciphered that eight varying facial molds were used to craft the soldiers, then after the initial clay firing, additional feature were layered to the faces to distinguish them from one another further.  Considering the ancient nature of the contents of Emperor Qin’s tomb, the army appeared to have endured with minimal destruction and decay.  Upon excavation researchers have identified evidence of a fire within the tomb that occurred not long after it was sealed following the Emperor's death, believed to be a result of a raid.  Since the excavation began signs of oxidation and decay have appeared, leading researchers to begin again burying sections of the pits in order to further preserve the ancient army.

Did you ever imagine you would have an opportunity to stand face to face with the Terracotta Army? U China Travel offers a unique opportunity for you to weave throughout the corridors of Pit One, the largest excavation site within the Terracotta Warrior Museum. Our guests can walk amongst the 2,000 old warriors, observing the intricate details that form individual soldier. This historical journey will be one not soon to be forgotten! For More info, please contact leo.chu@uchinatravel.com.